1 Sep 2015

On Friday, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insisted that Liverpool would have a 'quiet' transfer deadline day, and it seems unlikely that the Reds will sign anyone in the next six hours. There could be a couple of outgoings, though, and reports today suggest that Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori could be set for a late transfer out of Anfield.

* Aston Villa have now 'made an offer' and Liverpool are 'keen' for Ilori to head out on loan.

If the Reds want Ilori to go then it probably means that Rodgers doesn't see the 22-year old Portuguese defender as part of his plans for the upcoming season.

No surprise there, of course, but given the club's defensive situation, Ilori may feel that there's a chance he may get an opportunity this season:

* Lovren is still making mistakes, including a terrible howler against West Ham over the weekend.

* Sakho is injury prone, and if he pics up another issue, then there's obviously a chance for a back-up defender to challenge Lovren.

* Kolo Toure is ahead of Ilori, but all he needs is one chance to prove himself, and if he does well, there's every possibility that he'll keep him place (if, that is, Rodgers uses the merit system, and not price tags, to select defenders).

* Of course, the reverse is also true: if Ilori gets his chance, and he fails to deliver, that it will probably be curtains for his long-term Liverpool career.

Ilori - who cost Liverpool £7m in 2013 - definitely wants to stay at Liverpool. Last week, he told reporters:

"I want to play for Liverpool. That is my objective so I'm going to do everything to make that happen. I chose Liverpool over a few other teams and...to be at a club like this is a dream come true. The next step is playing for it".

Ilori has already rejected Sunderland, and if he really wants to 'play for Liverpool', then he'll probably reject Villa, although Villa Park is a far more attractive destination than the Stadium of Light.

Ilori is two years into his Liverpool career (such as it is), and like Teixeira, he's 22 years old, so now is the time to be challenging for first-team football at Anfield.

If there's no possibility of that ever happening, Liverpool should just sell Ilori outright, and forget about a loan, as it's arguably unfair to keep stringing the player along.